NOTE: I posted this on my personal Facebook account over the weekend, but since most of my readers don’t know that account exists, I wanted to share it here as well.

I’ve read articles lately (one in Cosmo magazine; I think I found the other through a Yahoo link) about women bemoaning their bodies. The Cosmo article was about a woman with tubular breast deformity, a condition where the breast tissue doesn’t develop normally, leaving breasts small and oddly shaped. She had $10,000 reconstructive surgery to get “normal” breasts. The other article was about a woman who had lost a substantial amount of weight and was disgusted by the excess skin she had left on her body; the article detailed her binding of the skin and other lengths she goes to daily to try to hide it.

Um… TMI alert here… The Cosmo article included before and after pics. The before pic…well, that could have been *my* chest. I have the same condition as the author of the article. And the other article, well, those who have known me a long time know that about 10 years ago, I lost over 90 pounds. I still have all the excess skin, because the only way to remove it is surgery that’s considered cosmetic and so isn’t covered by insurance.

I feel sad for the women who wrote those articles. But not for myself. My breasts are MINE. They look the way they’ve always looked. I can’t wear some types of shirts, but that’s no big deal, and (TMI warning again) I haven’t heard any complaints about the things from the people who’ve seen them

The excess skin I have also prevents me from wearing some types of clothes, but I’ve learned to dress accordingly. And that skin is a frigging badge of honor as far as I’m concerned. Do I wish it was gone? Hell yes. But it’s there as proof that I took control of my life and lost the weight that was causing me to be borderline diabetic. I lost the weight that kept me from being able to play with my kids when they were little. I made myself stronger and healthier, and that’s worth more than being able to wear skintight clothes.

Someday, I hope women will accept and embrace the way they look, however that is. Cliche or not, beauty really is NOT only about what you see on the outside. “Sexy” is a state of mind and attitude, not a body type. So be proud of who you are and how you look, because YOUR opinion of yourself is the one that truly matters.